Blackhorse Road, Kingswood: Wesleyan Methodist Chapel & Burial Ground
From May 2003 to May 2019 I served as one of three local councillors (elected representatives) for the ward of Woodstock on
South Gloucestershire Council. The former Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and Burial Ground between Blackhorse Road and Waters Road, Kingswood were (mostly) within the ward I represented. Due to the bizarre way in which boundaries are put on maps over the years and the way in which land is divided up, a small portion of the Burial Ground does, in fact, lie within the boundaries of
Bristol City Council. At the local council elections in May 2019 (when I stood down) the ward boundaries for South Gloucestershire Council were re-drawn and the wards re-named. The site of the Chapel and most of the Burial Ground are now (from May 2019 until any future boundary review) within the ward called 'Kingswood'.
In 2005, myself and my two fellow councillors for the Woodstock ward began a campaign to encourage South Gloucestershire Council to use the various powers at its disposal to tackle the state of the burial ground. In the intervening years since its closure to new burials (ca. 1979) and changes in ownership, the burial ground had fallen into disrepair. The boundary wall along Blackhorse Road and Waters Road had fallen down in a number of places, the cemetery itself was totally overgrown with brambles and other vegetation and the site was being used for fly-tipping.
I am sorry to say that our campaign didn't really achieve it's goals, although a number of small steps forward were made. However, over the 14 or so years that we tried to get something to happen, we did amass a fair bit of information about the site. As a keen family historian myself I am well aware that this may be of interest to the families of those who are interred in the Burial Ground or who were associated with the Chapel. The purpose of this webpage and the various links from it are to enable me to share information that we gathered during our campaign. I do wish to make clear, however, that apart from look-ups in a copy of a Monumental Inscription that I have, I am unable to assist in any researches with the Chapel or Burial Ground.
This website will exist only for as long as I can continue to afford to pay for the hosting, so if there is material here you are interested in, rather than just 'bookmarking' the pages, I do suggest you print-off (or create PDFs of) anything you are interested in and/or download photos, documents etc. because I cannot promise it will be here indefinitely.
Andy Perkins, Hanham, Bristol. February 2021. Updated July 2021.
Basic Geography and potted history of the site
In the late 1970s, the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel on Blackhorse Road, Kingswood closed. The accompanying Burial Ground between Blackhorse Road and Waters Road in Kingswood was closed to new burials in 1978 despite a vociferous local campaign against closure. In the years that followed, the cemetery and buildings on site were sold off and changed hands a number of times. You can
click here for a link to Google maps.
The image below shows how the site is divided up today into 4 basic parts;
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- Part A. This comprises the former chapel; the former entrance way from Two Mile Hill; a rectangular section of Burial Ground between the Chapel and Blackhorse Road; and a small square piece of Burial Ground to the immediate south of the Chapel. For many years following closure of the Chapel for religious purposes, the Chapel became a dance studio. This use had ceased by 2003 when I was first elected. The Chapel was burnt to a shell following an arson attack in July 2004. In the years that followed, there was at least one (failed) attempt to convert the Chapel into flats. However, an application in November 2015 succeeded and the Chapel was converted into 15 flats. To accompany the flats, the developers also secured permission to convert the rectangular piece of Burial Ground between the Chapel and Blackhorse Road into a car parking area. The bodies of those interred in this area remain in situ. Gravestones from this area that could be saved were removed and re-sited to a 'Garden of Remembrance' created on the square plot of land (Burial Ground) to the immediate south of the Chapel. At the same time, the developers also secured planning permission from Bristol City Council to build accommodation on the access lane off of Two Mile Hill.
- Part B. The former Sunday School building and a small parking area adjacent to it (to the immediate north). The Sunday School building was converted into 6 flats in 2008/9 and is now known as Sunday House. The small parking area to the immediate north occupies part of the former Burial Ground, although this had been created prior to 2003. Prior to conversion into flats, the Sunday School building was home to Crackers Snooker Club (from ca. 1985).
- Part C. A second former Sunday School building plus a new build of flats. The second former Sunday School building has been converted into flats. This took place prior to 2003. The combined conversion and new build complex is called Blackhorse Court. It is owned by a housing association and is home to around 18 people whose independance is assisted by an element of supported living.
- The majority of the Burial Ground (arrowed). The majority of the remainder of the Burial Ground extends from Blackhorse Road to Waters Road. There is a also a separate section to the north-east of the Chapel on Blackhorse Road (next to Fernlea vets). All of these bits of the Burial Ground are owned privately and were the principal target of our campaign as they were totally overgrown.
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